Voice technology to take over keyboards by 2023: report

Nearly half (48%) of the general public believes keyboards will barely be used by 2023 as voice technology takes over, according to a survey of 4,000 plus consumers in the UK, US, France and Germany, says a report released by Pindrop Security.

The majority of the population (63%) are already using voice control to interact with devices and appliances. On average, more than half (56%) of the population think the voice technology will have a positive impact on their work and home life.

Also, 41% of the surveyed said voice control will stop people from staring at their phones all the time. “The same number also believe their lives would be made simpler by voice, as the technology’s capabilities increase over the next five years,” says the Pindrop report.

Up to 63% of the surveyed said they plan to use voice-activated devices to help them with cooking, and 58% said they’ll use voice devices to manage their homes while 52% said they will use voice to order groceries.

It isn’t just in their home life that people are planning to make use of voice technologies. Up to 57% said they plan to use it to access workplaces, while 50% plan to use it to operate equipment or for in-car use. Voice control also has leisure time applications. 56% said they plan to book tickets or restaurants with it.

Businesses also have ambitious long-term goals for voice control adoption. Over two-thirds indicated plans to use voice assistants for the majority of customer interactions, while a quarter said they will use voice assistants for all customer interactions.

Voice for more complicated tasks

The usage of voice control has increased, with usage at home gaining the greatest traction. So far the use is limited to simple tasks like internet searches (33%), checking news (29%) and music control (25%), while in the workplace, people use the voice mostly to dial numbers (24%) and to dictate emails (18%).

However, in five years, people will use the voice for more complicated tasks such as home control, ordering groceries and booking travel, Pindrop predicted. In the office, staff will use it for security and authentication purpose, to access their computers, workspaces, equipment, etc.

“The last few years have seen early adopters rush to bring smart devices and speakers into their homes, normalizing a technology that was once seen with skepticism,” said Vijay Balasubramaniyan, CEO and co-founder of Pindrop.

“Today’s results prove this and also point towards a future where the way we engage with technology fundamentally shifts to a hands-free model. People can see the benefits it brings them, allowing them to simplify their lives and help battle the constant distractions handheld devices provide,” Balasubramaniyan added.

Less security concern

While adoption of voice control grows, so have related security concerns. In 2017, the main concern with voice technology was about usability, but in 2018, security and privacy concerns became the main concern.

Up to 46% of the surveyed said they would not have their voice as the password. The other 44% are happy with using the voice as password, with not having to remember a password as the top reason.

Due to security concerns, online banking via voice will be used by just 43% of the population in five years, while making a purchase higher than £30 will be carried out by less than half of the population.

Nevertheless, security concerns have become less of an issue. In 2017, only 39% would use voice as the password, while 50% said no.